Maximum delay of Public sector staff grade salaries one day: Siyambalapitiya

The salaries of staff grade (executive)  employees in the public sector would be delayed by a maximum of one day,  the Ministry of Finance has announced.

State Minister of Finance Ranjith Siyambalapitiya said today they were trying to pay the staff grade salaries on the same day as all other public sector employees will be paid on January 25 and failing which it would be paid on the following day.

Earlier the Government said that salaries of staff grade employees would be delayed, but did not give a specific day.

However, the latest statement by Minister Siyambalapiitya says that the delay would be would be a maximum of one day.

He said the Treasury already has released Rs 87 billon of the required 93 billion rupees for the salaries for the month of January and that the remaining Rs seven billion will be sent in the next few days.

The minister said that the monthly revenue was only Rs 145 billion though the expenses accounted for Rs 645 billion.

Last week Cabinet spokesman Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that due to the adverse financial situation there were difficulties in paying up salaries for public sector employees.

The comment drew angry reactions from the public sector staff grade employees prompting the Sri Lanka Administrative Service employees summoning a meeting to discuss the implications.

SLASA president Rohana de Silva said: “We fear that the economic fallout will worsen with time. Multiple means of managing the Government revenue to meet the expenditure along with debt management were the major matters of concern that were raised at the meeting that took place with the executive committee of the SLASA.

 He said the group has called for negotiations with the President, the Prime Minister and the Treasury Secretary. The support of other professional alliances will be sought. “Strong trade union movements will be geared up against the whole notion if the Government does not lend an ear to our action plans with regard to mitigation of fundamental economic conflicts,” Mr De Silva said.

He said In light of this decision, employees who have bank installments to pay and credit card balances would be severely affected.